Underachiever's Hidden Potential
by pr0dz
Summary: Everyone knows at least one prankster. These pranksters have reasons for their behavior. Some just crave for attention while others use it as a means to cope. Bart is among the latter. Read to find out. !SmartBart


**Hey guys. I'm back with another fanfiction. This time, it's from The Simpsons! I've been reading some of the fanfics for a while and since Bart's my favorite character, this story will be about him. It may have some dark theme or depressing one but I'll try to change it up. Anyway, here it is. My only warning is some out of character moments for Bart, probably others.**

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Chapter 1: Change

" _F's, the only grades you will have, little brat. That's all you will see in your life."_

" _A failure is what you'll always be."_

" _To be honest, Bart's kinda dumb."_

" _Sweetie, you're just special in your way."_

" _Hehehe. It's ok to be a failure, boy. Look at me, I didn't finish high school but I'm still around and I'm happy with it."_

The sound of a pencil scribbled on a notebook. An angry grunt came out in a heap of breath. The setting centered to a ten year old boy in his bed. Said boy's appearance was an orange shirt and blue shorts.

 _May 21, 2010_

 _Another day of crappy Springfield. Where people judge others, particularly me. Hell, even my family judges me._

 _It's not like I wanted to be this way. I don't know how longer I can put up with this farce of an act. I only did this so no one would have another reason to put me down. Even if I have ADD, I'm not an idiot. I'm not some underachiever that would repeat a grade._

 _Why am I still in this town? Every adult I see is so corrupt even the mayor is a huge douche._

 _They're even more worse than that palm tree-haired psycho who would have no qualms of killing a ten year old._

 _I wish Gramps was here. I still miss him. Only he understood me the most._

Bart Simpson sighed as he put his personal journal in his cardboard box. He _hated_ everything about Springfield. He hated the community. He hated that his parents, especially Homer, favored Lisa over him (and Maggie). Hate. That was all Bart could feel.

At first, the beginning of his life was going well. At least until Homer and Marge stopped paying attention to whatever he does. Sure, they still cared for him somewhat but that was just it. It seemed he was just an inhabitant of the house. Despite everything, Bart did not have it in him to resent his parents.

Well, he had no doubt that eventually he'll resent his father. After all, besides the shit he gave to him, Bart had to face him favoring Lisa like she was a good angel. The only good thing was that he at least not received any strangles recently. Otherwise, he'd probably develop some problems with his trachea.

Ever since he went to Springfield, Bart wanted to do what every kid aspired: fitting in and make good grades to impress their parents. Also to make some friends and build bonds. However, in Kindergarten, he had that _teacher…_ the woman who was responsible for Bart's conflict. The reason why he had chose to become an underachiever and the class clown yearly.

Despite what people have said, Bartholomew JoJo Simpson was actually a pure genius. Even his sister would not hold a candle to his intellect. Most of everyone in Springfield judged him as a delinquent, vilified him akin to a hell spawn, considered him an underachiever, and an irredeemable idiot. The spiky-haired kid laughed it off all the time, dismissing their words and retaliates. But deep down, it hurt him more than one could think and his bitterness grew every day.

At some point in kindergarten, Bart became a class clown. But for obvious reasons. One of them was to have some sort of recognition, to which he gained through his charisma. Another reason was to somewhat get back at those who judged him. But the main reason why he pranked was a coping mechanism; hiding how he truly felt. Bitter at everyone that tried to put him down. Even **_hatred_** to some extent. Depressed at how much his life had sucked. But the worse feeling he wanted to avoid was loneliness. Even though he had made some friends, none of them truly understood him besides his late grandfather. Despite that, Bart had his moments of happiness. His prankster act had made him one of the most popular kids at school. He explored some of his talents like his art and his ability to pick up foreign languages.

But his most attribute was his intelligence. Only a few individuals knew of Bart's hidden intelligence. Them being Principal Skinner, Milhouse Van Houten, and Edna Krabappel.

The eldest Simpson child and the ridiculous principal may have been natural enemies, but he knew how smart Bart really was. In fact, all of Bart's lowest grades were just fake papers. They were made to fool everyone, including his own family. His real grades were kept in a secret area. If there was an extreme occasion, Skinner would have no choice but unveil the secret. Krabappel also pitched in to keep Bart's secret. She knew he was one of the best. After all, his pranks were anything _but_ simple. When Bart turned in his assignments, she replicated the paper and made it an F minus so no one would know. Milhouse was and still is Bart's best friend, hence why he knew all about the Butterfinger-headed individual.

Bart sometimes wondered if his parents had an idea about his secret intellect. After all, they have seen his crafty pranks or maybe not; he didn't care. Only his late grandfather knew about Bart's intelligence. Abe Simpson was probably the only family member who understood Bart the most but now he was six feet under. His funeral was held last week. That was when Bart's concealed mask began to fall apart. All the while bottling in his grief for the late Abraham Simpson.

"Pfft. Why do I even try?" muttered Bart. He looked at the ground and walked out of his room. If he did not get out any sooner, no doubt his mother would probably bother him. As he was on his way to the kitchen, his bitter thoughts kicked in. _'What did I do to deserve this misery? At least you aren't suffering, Gramps.'_ Bart thought.

Because of his sister's academic achievements, Maggie had been lacking some attention that she deserved, considering that he had his fair share. Another thing, his relationship with Lisa strained considerably. He scowled as he remembered what occurred almost two weeks ago. **(1)** He could have been killed for crying out loud! Sometimes, he wondered why he sacrificed some achievements he had gained just to save Lisa's future. He enjoyed being a hall monitor and he even spent five hundred dollars on some album so Lisa could honor that jazz guy, Bleeding Gums or whatever his name was.

But what did he get in return? A fake interview set-up just because he was doing better than her. Even though Bart _did_ ruin the Groundskeeper's shack via lots of creamed corn, it paled in comparison to what Lisa did. Who knew that his sister was capable of being a rotten brat? He already proved how charismatic he could be especially when doing some news channel. Despite that Lisa had managed to stop the Groundskeeper from killing her brother, it did not change that Bart began resenting Lisa as a result, only seeing her as someone who lives in the same house as him. Ever since then, he never pranked her or even talked to her unless if it had to do with school.

The boy sighed in relief. He was happy that today was Friday. The day he decided himself that he will drop his prankster persona.

The time for Springfield to witness the true Bart Simpson.

Bart made it to the kitchen. He noticed his father eating voraciously as usual. Marge already prepared breakfast, a stack of pancakes. While he ate the delicious meal, his father started a conversation.

"Marge, I think I'm getting a promotion! It's about time that old raisin gave me what I deserved," ranted the overweight man.

"That's great, Homer. Maybe we can upgrade the house. The kitchen perhaps," said the homemaker whilst imagining scenarios of herself making meals that made even fancy restaurants feel amazed.

While in her trance, Lisa decided to speak. "Dad, I was wondering if you want to see me perform at the Jazzy Goodtime's." She pleaded while giving Homer that 'sweet' smile. Bart rolled his eyes. Another day he had to hear Lisa and her cruddy jazz talents.

Homer thought for a moment. It didn't hurt to see the place for a change. "Sure thing, Lisa. I wonder if they have food-shaped instruments. Oh! Maybe a bongo made out of chocolate donuts. _Mmm…_ chocolate bongos," Homer said while drooling in thought about food shaped into music.

His mother broke out of her trance and remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Next week will be your last day of school. Any ideas for which place we should go this year?"

"We should visit Rome, Mom! I've always wanted to see the Vatican Museums!" exclaimed an excited Lisa.

"Does Rome have donuts?" asked Homer. His question caused pretty much the whole family to deadpan at him.

Marge noticed Bart had been silent since he came to the kitchen and decided to invite him to the conversation. "Bart, do you have any suggestions for a vacation?"

Not liking the attention, Bart answered so no one would be suspicious of his behavior. "I'm thinking either France or the Netherlands."

His mother raised an eyebrow at Bart's dismissive tone yet curious at Bart's idea. She would have thought Bart would suggest something "simpler" or so. Homer however, began laughing. "NETHERlands? Are they even a NETHER region?" said the overweight yellow man as he continued howling.

' _Leave it to Dad to make a joke out of everything.'_ thought Bart. Marge would have scolded Homer but she failed to hold down her trademark chortle. Even Lisa was laughing.

Bart finished his breakfast, carried his plate to the sink, and washed it clean. He then heard the bus approaching and walked out the door, not bidding farewell to his loving mother, lazy father, or his irritating sister. Said girl walked out the door shortly.

"What's gotten in to him?" asked Homer. Usually, he never showed concern since he thought Bart was a tough guy but seeing Bart's recent behavior made him have second thoughts.

"Hmm, I don't know Homie. Maybe it had to do with Abe-" Marge stopped herself once she noticed Homer's face turn into frustration and sadness. "Let's just wait for him to come back after school."

* * *

 **Bus Stop**

The spiky-haired boy had made it to the bus stop in a few minutes. He was grateful for being physically active… somewhat. While he did not hate his father, he was mildly annoyed. He was a bit excited despite that. Krabappel reminded the class the other day about the upcoming math test and math was his favorite subject. He made sure of that.

He could hear Lisa running to catch up when the bus arrived. He did NOT want to interact with Lisa at this time. Moments later, the bus arrived and the two siblings walked in.

"Yo Bart! What's up my dude?!" exclaimed the excited bus driver, Otto. He had long nappy-like black hair and some sort of overbite.

Bart smiled. "You already know, Otto. A week left before school ends. What's shaking?"

The bus driver laughed. "You know me, lil dude! Planning on partying all summer."

He began driving the kids to school so the eldest Simpson child walked towards his best friend, Milhouse, and sat down beside him.

"Hey, Bart! You planned to go on vacation this summer?" happily asked Milhouse. The blue-haired Dutch seemed to be excited for today.

"My mom just talked about it this morning. Honestly, I don't really look forward to it," said Bart.

Milhouse raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "My parents probably wouldn't go on vacation this year. If you want, I know a guy that runs some music place. Maybe we can spend the summer there if you want."

"Music place, huh? That sounds interesting," hummed Bart as he rubbed his chin in thought. _'I still have my guitar in the closet. Maybe I can finally learn how to play like a rock star!'_ He then grinned slyly. "Alright, I'll give it a try. But first thing is that Math test we have to take."

"Wait, you actually studied for the test?" Milhouse asked in shock. But then realized some kids around him might hear. He cupped his mouth a little to whisper. "I thought you're hiding your brain, Bart."

"Yeah, I know that. But I just feel like acing this test. Maybe, my parents might let me pick the vacation spot I guess. Plus, you know I like solving equations," whispered back Bart. The eldest Simpson had an "Advanced Algebra" book in his room, at the top shelf specifically. When he was bored of watching Krusty, Bart would go to his room, he would just find slopes and graph lines. After all, the slope functions, complicated roots, anything of sorts were the reason how he was capable of elaborating pranks no one had ever seen. Who knew math could be THAT beneficial?

"Oh yeah, I forgot. I bet you could give Martin a run for his money."

"A run for what?" piped in said chubby nerd. He was a redhead who wore a white shirt and a pair of shorts. He was sitting in front of Bart and Milhouse.

"Uh… we meant you're better in…" Milhouse trailed.

Bart face-palmed. _'Leave it to Milhouse to babble…'_ "He means you can give the groundskeeper a run for his money in a spelling bee," he intervened, intending to stop Martin's suspicion.

Fortunately, Martin bought it. "Hmph. Well duh, I am the _smartest_ ," the chubby fourth grader said smugly.

Bart rolled his eyes. "It's probably a little too early to feed that ego of yours, don't you think?"

That didn't stop the fat teacher's pet's smug visage. "How do _you_ know about egos? Your brain's probably too small to have the concept of one."

His statement caught the surrounding bus kids' attention. They never heard Martin speak in that tone. Even worse, he even did it to the class underachiever.

Whilst biting down his rising rage, Bart sardonically chuckled. "I guess that's true. But at least it won't clog my arteries."

That statement elicited a roar of laughter from everyone. Hell, even Otto was laughing his ass off.

Martin growled. "What do _you_ know about arteries you retard?! I'm surprised you're not even braindead considering how dumber you get!"

All the kids winced. Even Nelson would never go that far. A few kids, even the bullies, frowned at Martin. It seemed that the chubby kid was not in anyone's favor.

Bart's face contorted into anger. It seemed he inherited more than Homer's habits. Before he could beat Martin up into a pulp, Milhouse held him down by the shoulder. Bart was grateful his friend was able to stop him before he regretted anything.

Martin then realized what he said. "W-Wait. B-B-Bart, I didn't mea-"

"Oh shut the hell up, already! You've said enough," Milhouse said coldly. Some of the kids shuddered at the tone while others, particularly girls, suddenly felt charmed by it, despite the awkward tension.

Silence remained for a while. A short few minutes later, Otto had parked at the elementary. Bart got off the bus and silently walked away from the crowd.

"Bart, where you going?" asked Milhouse, concerned for his friend.

"Just going to the classroom. I'll see you then," Bart muttered, only for Milhouse to hear.

Said friend nodded and walked towards the cafeteria with one of his friends, Wendell Borton.

* * *

 **I guess this is a good place to stop. Chapter 2 could be better than this. I can't be sure.**

 **(1) One of the classic Simpsons episodes. S9E21 "Girly Edition" This is the episode where Bart attempted to prove Lisa wrong about him being "dumb". In order to do so, he went to Kent Brockman's place and asked advice on how to write a good story, which eventually gave him the ability to do the news station better than Lisa herself. Even though Bart was wrong on many things, I just can't get past at how Lisa would sabotage Bart like that. It's not even the first time I've seen her jealousy get the better of her either. Another thing is why wasn't Bart even frustrated with her. Not only she ruined something fun for him but almost had him killed. I also don't know how the hell she even knows what Bart did to the groundskeeper… Which is why I made a different outcome of the episode for this story. I don't hate Lisa and I know how much of an ass Bart can be, but I've never seen justice for Bart when Lisa does some stupid things…**

 **Also, a big shout-out to Davoid123. His work had a role of my inspiration when I began writing this. The Simpsons archive lacks a great deal of stories, more so on Bart Simpson stories. Davoid's stories on Bart were the best in my opinion. Which is why I recommend everyone that followed my pen name to read "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister". Also "Life Goes On".**


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